"How reliable is the 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid?"

"Based on 583 NHTSA complaints, the 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid has a median complaint mileage of 90000 miles. The most common issue is Service Brakes."

"What are common problems with the 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid is Service Brakes, accounting for a significant portion of the 583 total complaints filed."

2008 Ford Escape Hybrid: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 583 complaints

583

Total Complaints

90,000mi

Median Mileage

Service Brakes

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

62,125 25th Percentile

90,000 Median Mileage

130,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Service Brakes

129

Steering

107

Engine

Electrical System

Power Train

Engine And Engine Cooling

Vehicle Speed Control

Fuel/Propulsion System

Service Brakes, Hydraulic

Unknown Or Other

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC, THE TIRE PRESSURE WARNING LIGHT CAME ON SHORTLY BEFORE A TIRE WENT FLAT. DURING THE TIRE REPAIR, THE VALVE STEM WAS IDENTIFIED AS THE SOURCE OF THE LEAK. THE STEM WAS CRACKED AND CORRODED. INSPECTION OF THE VEHICLE'S OTHER VALVE STEMS SHOWED THEY WERE ALSO DEFECTIVE, AND THE ..."

"FORD ESCAPE HYBRID 2008 CHECK BRAKE SYSTEM MESSAGE WITH ABS LIGHTS ON THEN GOT REGEN BRAKES DISABLED WHEN PRESSING BRAKE PEDAL PRIOR TO TAKING OUT OF PARK. 41438 MILES (JUST OUT OF WARRANTY OF COURSE) AND JUST EXPERIENCE NO BRAKES WHEN I BACKED OUT. I CALLED THE SERVICE DESK AND THEY CLAIMED THEY ..."

"TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE REVERSING THE VEHICLE THE BRAKES FAILED. HE WAS ABLE TO PREVENT A VEHICLE CRASH BY USING THE PARKING BREAK TO STOP. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER, IN WHICH A TECHNICIAN CONCLUDED THAT THE MASTER CYLINDER NEEDED TO BE R..."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

Service Brakes 129 complaints

25th: 90,750 mi Median: 113,000 mi 75th: 140,000 mi

Steering 107 complaints

25th: 88,467 mi Median: 115,371 mi 75th: 150,000 mi

Engine 73 complaints

25th: 61,100 mi Median: 79,270 mi 75th: 105,500 mi

Electrical System 63 complaints

25th: 60,350 mi Median: 84,848 mi 75th: 113,349 mi

Power Train 42 complaints

25th: 53,569 mi Median: 75,051 mi 75th: 120,000 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 141 NY: 29 PA: 25 OH: 25 VA: 25 MD: 22 NJ: 22 FL: 21 MI: 21 IL: 16

Who Files Complaints?

0.5%

Original Owners

99.5%

Second+ Owners

Ford Escape Hybrid — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
2005	237	105,000	Service Brakes	5
2006	305	105,000	Service Brakes	7
2007	155	89,000	Service Brakes	1
2009	192	86,500	Steering	7
2010	73	70,315	Steering	5
2011	46	75,000	Steering	4
2012	20	36,000	Service Brakes	5
2020	357	21,500	Body	3
2021	137	35,851	Engine	2
2022	79	37,449	Engine	5
2023	32	6,425	Electrical System	2

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28